Automatic railroad-switch



(No Model.)

W. A. HICKS & A. WILSON.

AUTOMATIC RAILROAD SWITCH.

UNITED STATES PATENT rricE.

WILLIAM ALEXANDER HICKS AND ALEXANDER WILSON, OF JOHNSTOW'N,

PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC RAILROAD-SWITCH.

SPECIFICAIIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 339,411, dated April 6, 1886. Application filed October 3, 1885. Serial No. 118,925. (No model.)

To all 2071,0722 it may concern.-

Be it known that WeJVILL AM ALEXANDER Hicks and ALEXANDER WILsoN, of Johnstown, in the county of Oambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Railroad- Switches and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

Our invention relates to an improvement in automatic railroad-switches; and it consists in the combination of the rails of the main track with the switch-rails,which are connected together, and a rod which has bent ends and which operates the switch-rails when its outer end is struck by the flanges of the wheels of the locomotive or car which is advancing toward the main track from the siding, all of which will be more fully described hereinafter.

The object of our invention is to pivot one of the rails of the switch entirely outside of the rails of the main track, and to give this rail a turning movement, so that it will drop down upon the top of the rail of the main track and ride upward therefrom, and to operate the switchrails from the main track, so as to open the switch if it is closed by the flange of the wheels when the train is moving in one direction, and to close the switch so as to make connection between the siding and the main track, by means of a rod which is connected to the switch-rail.

Figure l is a perspective of a switch embodying my invention, showing the switch closed. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the switch open.

A represents the rails of the main traclgand B the rails of the siding. Pivoted between the rails of the main track is the switch-rail 0, which is preferably made of the shape here showmand which has its pivotpassed through its end to one side of its center, as shown, so that in case the flanges of the wheels of a train which is advancing along the main track should strike the rounded end of this rail G the rail will be turned upon its pivot so as to move it far enough away from the rail of the main track to allow the flanges of the wheels of the train to pass between those of the switch-rail G and the rail of the main track.

Connected to this switch-rail O, by means of bearings, so as to drop down upon the top of 6 the rail of the main track and then rise upward and backward from it. The rails F and G being connected together by the connectingrod D, when one is moved the other is moved at the same time.

jection the end of the connecting-rod D is fastened. By means of this projection H, when therail C is moved, the rail F is made to turn upon its pivots draw the rail F down upon the top of the rail of the main track or turn it backward and upward so as to leave the main track free for the passage of trains in either direction.

Journaled upon the cross-ties isa rod, 1, 80

which has its end J bent at an angle, so as to be operated by the turning backward of the rail F, and which has its other end, L, so bent that when the rail F is turned backward this end L will be turned up above the top of one 85 of the rails of the siding, so as to be struck by the flanges of the wheel of the train advancin \V hen this bent end L is struck by the wheels,

the rod turns partially around in its bearing, 0

and thus forces its other bent endto throw the rail F down, and thus make connection between the siding and the main track.

In case a train is advancing along the siding toward the main track and the switch is 5 open, the rod, through its bent end,will cause the switch to close. If a train is advancing along the main track from left to right, the Wheels will strike the pivoted end of the rail 0 and throw open the switch without any atroctention on the part of any one. Should the train be advancing along the main track from side of the switch-rail l3, and

A projection, H, is also made on the side of the rail F, and to this proor hearings, so as to either 7 along the siding toward the main track.

the right toward the left, and the switch be closed,then the train will run upon the siding.

Having thus described our invention, we claim- 1. The combination of the rails of the main and side tracks with the two switch-rails, one of which is pivoted upon the rails of the main track and the other hinged outside of and be yond the rails of the main traclgso as to have a, hinged rising and falling movement, sub stantially as shown.

2-. The combination of the rails of the main and side tracks with the two switch-rails, one of the rails being pivoted eccentrically at its end and upon one end of one of the rails of the side track, and the other rail having arising and falling movement and being pivoted 

